Cleric praises Fed Govt for paying arrears

THE Ogun State Chairman, Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Alhaji Abdulrasheed Mayaleke, has commended the federal government for paying the five-month arrears of members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

He hailed the union for its doggedness in getting the government to be more committed to repositioning the tertiary education sub-sector.

Mayaleke told journalists in Ijebu-ode that people were happy that the strike was over.

He was, particularly, happy that the issue that kept thousands of undergraduates at home had been resolved.

He said ASUU should be commended for not fighting for themselves alone, but also for the future of children who are yet to gain admission into the universities.

Mayaleke urged the government to honour agreement it reached with labour unions to promote industrial peace and harmony.

He noted that if both ASUU and the Federal Government had reached a compromise on time, all the losses incurred during the struggle would have been avoided, especially the death of the former ASUU President, Prof Festus Iyayi.

Having got their demands from the government, the cleric urged the unionists to do their part to regain lost grounds.

“Now that the needed fund has been disbursed, all eyes are on ASUU to fulfil the dream of making Nigeria’s universities rank among the best in the continent and the world at large,” he said.

Mayaleke called on the three tiers of government to fund the education sector to build a virile nation.